Published: Wednesday, September 12, 2012 at 1:00 a.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, September 11, 2012 at 7:36 p.m.

SARASOTA - Connie and Stan Genstein did not mind waiting 25 minutes to purchase a few bottles of wine and some other items from the new Trader Joe's grocery store on Tuesday.

After all, they had already driven an hour from their Apollo Beach home just to get into the parking lot.

"We'll make a trip once a month from now on," Stan Genstein said. "The prices might be a little high on some items, but you don't get a selection like this anywhere else."

Dedicated fans of the California-based grocer have packed the new store, at 4101 S. Tamiami Trail, since its grand opening Friday.

Over the weekend, customers waited as long as a half hour to check out and exit. Aisles were so jammed many customers had difficulty picking items off shelves, shoppers said.

In a scene reminiscent of local electronics stores during Black Friday holiday shopping madness, Sarasota County Sheriff's deputies directed traffic in and out of the supermarket's parking lot.

Also over the weekend, all 300 spaces at the Bath and Racquet Fitness Club, located behind Trader Joe's, were full, said owner Scott Olson.

Trader Joe's declined to comment on Sarasota store sales during the opening weekend, or even to discuss how many people have shopped at the store since its 8 a.m. debut six days ago.

Alison Mochizuki, a Trader Joe's spokeswoman, said all of the Sarasota store's 150 shopping carts were in use five minutes after opening. Within 30 minutes, the same was true for 125 hand baskets, she added.

The Sarasota opening dovetailed with what occurred in February, when Trader Joe's opened its first Florida grocery, in Naples.

There, shoppers swarmed the store from across South Florida for weeks. Managers reported between 2,000 and 3,000 people a day shopped daily at that 14,000-square-foot location -- slightly larger than Sarasota's 11,200-square-foot store.

Trader Joe's opening follows a similar debut weekend for Costco Warehouse Club at Sarasota Square Mall last month. There, customers waited in lines that wrapped around the members warehouse store's new building and jammed tables to sign up for memberships.

As with Costco, customers traveled great distances to shop Trader Joe's and experience the iconic retailer.

"I met someone from Orlando inside," Linda Bogner, a first time Trader Joe's shopper from Venice, said Tuesday. "I had to see what all the fuss was about."

Mochizuki said check out lines were moving much more quickly on Tuesday, though those exiting the store were still making their presence felt outside.

"The hype is wearing off some, but shoppers are still parking here and leaving the carts behind," Bath and Racquet's Olson said.

Parking was available Tuesday, but spaces filled up quickly.

Trader Joe's took over what was formerly a Rooms to Go furniture store.

The company boasts a strong, loyal following among shoppers, who know the brand for its funky vibe and colorful, reusable tote bags.

Like Costco, the chain also caters to a more upscale clientele, although prices on average are slightly less than upscale competitors like Whole Foods Market or The Fresh Market.

Customers like the Gensteins find Trader Joe's appealing despite a lack of sales gimmicks that have become commonplace among supermarket chains.

<p><em>SARASOTA</em> - Connie and Stan Genstein did not mind waiting 25 minutes to purchase a few bottles of wine and some other items from the new Trader Joe's grocery store on Tuesday.</p><p>After all, they had already driven an hour from their Apollo Beach home just to get into the parking lot.</p><p>"We'll make a trip once a month from now on," Stan Genstein said. "The prices might be a little high on some items, but you don't get a selection like this anywhere else."</p><p>Dedicated fans of the California-based grocer have packed the new store, at 4101 S. Tamiami Trail, since its grand opening Friday.</p><p>Over the weekend, customers waited as long as a half hour to check out and exit. Aisles were so jammed many customers had difficulty picking items off shelves, shoppers said.</p><p>In a scene reminiscent of local electronics stores during Black Friday holiday shopping madness, Sarasota County Sheriff's deputies directed traffic in and out of the supermarket's parking lot.</p><p>Also over the weekend, all 300 spaces at the Bath and Racquet Fitness Club, located behind Trader Joe's, were full, said owner Scott Olson.</p><p>Trader Joe's declined to comment on Sarasota store sales during the opening weekend, or even to discuss how many people have shopped at the store since its 8 a.m. debut six days ago.</p><p>Alison Mochizuki, a Trader Joe's spokeswoman, said all of the Sarasota store's 150 shopping carts were in use five minutes after opening. Within 30 minutes, the same was true for 125 hand baskets, she added.</p><p>The Sarasota opening dovetailed with what occurred in February, when Trader Joe's opened its first Florida grocery, in Naples.</p><p>There, shoppers swarmed the store from across South Florida for weeks. Managers reported between 2,000 and 3,000 people a day shopped daily at that 14,000-square-foot location -- slightly larger than Sarasota's 11,200-square-foot store.</p><p>Trader Joe's opening follows a similar debut weekend for Costco Warehouse Club at Sarasota Square Mall last month. There, customers waited in lines that wrapped around the members warehouse store's new building and jammed tables to sign up for memberships.</p><p>As with Costco, customers traveled great distances to shop Trader Joe's and experience the iconic retailer.</p><p>"I met someone from Orlando inside," Linda Bogner, a first time Trader Joe's shopper from Venice, said Tuesday. "I had to see what all the fuss was about."</p><p>Mochizuki said check out lines were moving much more quickly on Tuesday, though those exiting the store were still making their presence felt outside.</p><p>"The hype is wearing off some, but shoppers are still parking here and leaving the carts behind," Bath and Racquet's Olson said.</p><p>Parking was available Tuesday, but spaces filled up quickly.</p><p>Trader Joe's took over what was formerly a Rooms to Go furniture store.</p><p>The company boasts a strong, loyal following among shoppers, who know the brand for its funky vibe and colorful, reusable tote bags.</p><p>Like Costco, the chain also caters to a more upscale clientele, although prices on average are slightly less than upscale competitors like Whole Foods Market or The Fresh Market.</p><p>Customers like the Gensteins find Trader Joe's appealing despite a lack of sales gimmicks that have become commonplace among supermarket chains.</p><p>"We don't do coupons, membership cards or discounts. You won't find any glitzy promotions or couponing wars at our stores," Mochizuki said.</p><p>The company's $9 billion in sales this year earned them the No. 22 spot on a list of top 75 grocery wholesaler and retailers, as ranked by New York-based Supermarket News, a trade publication.</p><p>In all, Trader Joe's has 350 stores nationwide, and it plans to open 30 more by year-end.</p><p>Trader Joe's stores are traditionally much smaller than the average Publix or Winn-Dixie, which measure about 45,000 square feet.</p>